Sweet Poison Chapter One-Part One

Dedicated to

This is the first part of chapter one of my latest romantic thriller, Sweet Poison, which was released on October 18, 2013. To read the rest of the story, buy your copy today @ Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sweet-Poison-Rachel-Carrington-ebook/dp/B00FXIGS8M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382150724&sr=8-1&keywords=Sweet+Poison+by+rachel+carrington

Chapter One

The shrill beep of the pager shredded his damned-near perfect dream and brought Jaden to reluctant awareness. Switching on the bedside lamp, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and peered down into the narrow display window.

Damn. Getting a call from dispatch at three in the morning was never a good thing. He picked up his cell and dialed the number.

“We have a DOA in a hotel on State Street.”

Standing, Jaden tucked his cell phone between his ear and his shoulder and fastened his watch onto his wrist. “I’ll be there in about fifteen minutes. Make sure you page Bonovich.”

Jaden disconnected the call without a response, cursing his way to his closet. Once again, he and his partner, Erik Bonovich, were heading to a crime scene which would offer little evidence other than a pair of lips drawn on a bathroom mirror in scarlet red lipstick. Though the operator hadn’t offered any information, he didn’t doubt the scene would be the same.

For the past three weeks, they’d been called to at least four homicides with identical set-ups—some poor sap with his eyes wide open, stinking of perfume, and minus a set of balls. This bitch killing the men in the city made it personal…or maybe, the men had made it personal, and she was just evening the score.

Either way, between these homicides and a vivid memory, he’d had less sleep in the past two weeks than a new mother. He’d grown used to his sleep being interrupted by violent crime, but the images of a perfect set of legs wrapped around his hips were killing him.

Especially since the woman attached to those legs was now his boss.

“Shit. Get some focus, McKoy.” He threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and was out the door in three minutes, behind the wheel of his truck in one more.

The streets of Charleston, South Carolina were almost deserted except for the road leading to the scene. A combination of red and blue lights flickered, lighting the path to the front steps of the Slumber Inn, a hotel which would only earn about half a star from any travel website.

“Any chance there was a security camera in here?” Erik stooped down beside the body of victim and took a peek under the sheet.

“You gotta be kidding, right?” Jaden took a slurp of his coffee, his lips curving around the rim of the cup. “The only way a dive like this would have security cameras is if they stole them off the grocery store up the street.” He took a step forward and leaned in to get a better look at the body. “Got an Id?”

Erik winced at the same time he whistled. Not surprising considering the unfortunate man's genitals were mutilated. “Yeah, Lem Deavers. Lives in Valdosta, GA. The uniforms are tracking down any relatives.” He dropped his gaze once more. “Poor bastard.”

Jaden swept a gaze around the room. “Have you seen the lieutenant?”

“No, but then I haven't been looking for her...unlike one of us.”

Jaden ignored the sly comment. “What did the doc have to say?”

Erik coughed into his fist and lifted one of the fallen guy's hands for closer inspection. “Looks like he's missing a wedding ring.”